Center for Agricultural Biotechnology
Institute of Microbiology
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Datun Rd, Beijing 100101, P. R. China
Tel:86-10-64845674
E-mail: xiagx@im.ac.cn
Guixian Xia
Ph.D.,Professor
Research Area
Research focus: identification and functional characterization of genes controlling
cotton fiber development; isolation and functional analyses of genes encoding for salt
resistance in halophytes.
Education & Professional Experience
Principle Investigator, Ph.D. (1993, Geneva University, Switzerland).
Current Research
1. Cotton fiber development
Cotton fiber is a single epidermal cell of the outer integument of the ovule.
The development of cotton fiber can be divided into four stages: initiation,
elongation, secondary wall synthesis and maturation. Developing fibers exhibit
two striking features: 1) rapid and spontaneous growth in the absence of cell
division during elongation stage; 2) exclusive synthesis of cellulose during
secondary wall formation phase. Based on these characters, cotton fiber is
considered as an ideal model for studying plant cell elongation and cell wall
biogenesis. To date, the molecular mechanisms controlling fiber elongation and
wall synthesis remain largely unknown.
The main research focus in our group is to identify genes that are expressed
specifically in developing fibers and to elucidate their roles in cell elongation
and secondary wall formation. Our ultimate goals are to improve our
understanding about the regulation of cell elongation and cell wall synthesis in
higher plants through fiber system ， and to provide useful genes for the
modification of fiber quality via genetic engineering.
2. Halophyte salt tolerance
Soil salinity is one of the important limiting factors for plant growth and
development. Studies on the salt resistance in halophytes can advance our
knowledge about the mechanisms by which higher plants gain salinity tolerance.
Thellungiella halophia is an excellent model halophytic system for the research
of plant salt tolerance owing to its Arabidopsis-like characteristics such as a
small genome, short life cycle, high seed yield and easy transformation. Besides
T. halophia, the Suaeda salsa is also an attracting extremophile for studying salt
resistance mechanisms in halophytes.
Another research interest in our group is to identify salt resistance-related
genes from T halophia and S salsa and to characterize their roles in the process
of plant adaptation to salinity. Our goal is to exploit candidate genes for genetic
manipulation of salinity resistance in agriculturally important crops.
Selected publications
Liu N, Zhong NQ, Wang GL, Li LJ, Liu LX, He YK, Xia GX* (2007) Cloning and
functional characterization of PpDBF1 gene encoding a DRE-binding transcription factor
from Physcomitrella patens. Planta (on line)
Gao P, Zhao PM, Wang J, Wang HY, Wu XM, Xia GX* (2007) Identification of genes
preferentially expressed in cotton fibers: A possible role of calcium signaling in cotton fiber
elongation. Plant Science 173: 61-69
Liu N, Chen AP, Wang F, Zhong NQ, Wang HY, Xia GX* (2007) Functional screening of
salt stress-related genes from Thellungiella halophila using fission yeast system.
Physiologia Plantarum 129: 671-678
Yu Y, Wang HY, Liu LN, Chen ZL, Xia GX*.(2007). Functional identification of
cytokinesis-related genes from tobacco BY-2 cells. Plant Cell Reports 26:889-894
Chen AP, Wang GL, Qu ZL, Lu CX, Liu N, Wang F, Xia GX* (2007) Ectopic expression of
ThCYP1, a stress-responsive cyclophilin gene from Thellungiella halophila, confers salt
tolerance in fission yeast and tobacco cells. Plant Cell Reports 26:237-245
Chen AP, Zhong NQ, Qu ZL, Wang F, Liu N, Xia GX* (2007) Specific expression of the
salt-responsive glycine-rich protein (AtGRP9) in vascular tissues of Arabidopsis root and its
interaction with AtCAD5, a key enzyme involved in lignin biosynthesis.
Journal of Plant Research 120:337-343
Chen ZL, Yu Y, Liu LN, Xia GX* (2007). Isolation, characterization and functional analysis
of a cdc48 homologue from tobacco BY-2 cells. Progress in Natural Science 17：156-162
Qu ZL, Zhong NQ, Wang HY, Jian GL, Xia GX* (2006). Ectopic expression of the cotton
nonsymbiotic hemoglobin gene GhHb1 triggers defense responses and increases disease
tolerance in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell Physiology 47(8):1058-68.
Zhu SW, Gao P, Sun JS, Wang HH, Luo XM, Jiao MY, Wang ZY, Xia GX* (2006). Genetic
transformation of green-colored cotton. In Vitro Cellular and Development Biology - Plant
425: 439-444
Qu ZL, Wang HY，Xia GX* (2005） GhHb1: a nonsymbiotic hemoglobin gene of cotton
responsive to infection by Verticillium dahliae. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene
Structure and Expression 17: 103-113.
Wang HY, Yu Y., Chen ZL. Xia GX* （2005） Functional characterization of Gossypium
hirsutum Profilin 1 gene (GhPFN1) in tobacco suspension cells. Planta 222: 594-603.
Li YL, Sun J, Xia GX* (2005) Cloning and characterization of an LRR receptor-like protein
kinase gene associated with cotton fiber development. Molecular Genetics and Genomics
273: 217 - 224.
Li YL, Sun J, Li CH, Zhu YQ, Xia GX* (2003). Preferential expression of a -tubulin gene
(GhTub1) in developing cotton fibers. Science in China (Series C) 46: 235-242.
Tang YX, Chen AP, Liu SG, Xia GX* (2003) Identification and functional characterization
of a salt tolerance-related gene (AtGRP9 ) of Arabidopsis. Progress in Natural Science 1:
50－54.
Li LH, Wang HY, Li Y, Xia GX* (2002) Expression of a cotton profilin gene GhPFN1 is
associated with fiber cell elongation. Progress in Natural science 12: 794－797.
Wang D, Li LH, Chen ZL, Xia GX* (2002) Characterization and pilot functional study of a
root-specific MYB transcription factor of Arabidopsis. Chinese Science Bulletin 47:
297-301.
Dong CH, Xia GX(co-first author) Hong Y, Ramachandran S, Kost B, Chua NH (2001).
ADF proteins are involved in the control of flowering and regulate F-actin organization, cell
expansion and organ growth in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell 13: 1333-1346.
Laboratory Staff
Ms. Guiling Wang
Senior research assistant
Ms. Naiqin Zhong
Senior research assistant
Ms. Haiyun Wang
Research assistant
Students
Zhanliang Qu (2001)
Anping Chen (2001)
Yi Yu (2003)
Ning Liu (2003)
Peng Gao (2001)
Fang Wang (2001)
Piming Zhao (2002)
Juan Wang (2004)